National Basketball Championship continues tonight

Feb 18, 2015 Sports

– Number two, three seeds bounce into action

The National Basketball Championship: The Road to Mecca II continues tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports

Neil Marks

Hall with the third-ranked Colts United being the only Georgetown-based team that will compete for a place in next week’s Super Eight.
A semi-finalist last year, Colts comes up against the 13th ranked Bankers Trust Falcons from the Mining Town of Linden in the first game scheduled for 7:30pm. The second game features last year’s finalist, Retrieve Raiders against New Amsterdam Warriors.
Colts with its running game will be favoured to win against Falcons. Guard, Shelroy Thomas and Dave Causway will continue to be difficult to defend with their inside-out game that usually puts the defence under pressure.
While Thomas and Causway are handling the ball, Colts also have the option of going inside to experience forwards, Nicko Fraser and Dane Kendall. However united (no pun intended), Colts might appear to be a trip to the Final Four seems more difficult this year. A win tonight will pit them against Pepsi Sonics in the Super Eight.
The ease in which Colts are expected to get pass Falcons tonight will disappear against Sonics, which has become a more formidable team with the additions of Yannick December and Kevin Cumberbatch. But for now, their immediate focus is beating Falcons.
The Linden-based team was a strong side at its formation, but has slipped down the rankings in Linden and nationally. So far, only Kings from Linden have qualified for the Super Eight, which ought to be enough motivation for Falcons tonight.

Shelroy Thomas

A better case can be made for 2014 finalists, Retrieve Raiders against New Amsterdam Warriors in the second game. Louis James and Neil Marks will have to lead the Retrieve team as they did last year when Dwayne Roberts was absent in the semi-final. Roberts will be absent again tonight.
While they are favourites, a National Championship remain on the line and it can come down to who wants to own the title. Maybe New Amsterdam, with all the basketball playing there, may feel it is their time, or Falcons may have similar hope. It comes down to which team produces the better basketball tonight.